Coconut Creek, FL Swimming Pools & Spas: Fencing & Safety Requirements (2026)

Section 13-371(8) covers private swimming pools and in-ground spas, which are permitted in a rear or side yard in any residential district. Subsection b requires the entire pool area to be enclosed with a fence a minimum of five feet high, or an open mesh screened enclosure, with a gate that has a self-locking/closing device, which must be engaged when the pool is not in use. Hedges do not satisfy the enclosure requirement. The five-foot height is measured from the grade of the land on the outside of the fence to the top rail. Under subsection c, a spa with a locking lid is exempt from the fencing and screening requirement.

The definition of Fence in § 13-295 adds a spacing rule: pool fences shall have openings not more than four inches apart. That definition also matters for what counts as a private pool. Section 13-295 defines a private pool or spa as one with a depth of more than 36 inches and/or a water surface of 100 square feet or more, while a portable pool that stays at or under 36 inches deep and 100 square feet is defined separately.

Location rules sit beside the barrier rule. Pools must be at least five feet from the rear or interior side property line and five feet from any portion of a building, measured from the deckline of an unenclosed pool or from the screening of an enclosed one. A five-foot pervious area must remain on three sides of the pool, and pools or pool decks are not permitted within easements (§ 13-371(8)a and d). Section 13-379 caps fences on a residential lot at six feet, so a five-foot pool fence sits inside that limit.

Commercial, private community and public pools fall under § 13-371(9). The water must sit at least 12 feet from any fence or enclosure, the pool area needs a fence or wall enclosure at least eight feet high, chain link in public view requires landscaping, pool fences must stand at least ten feet from the property line or right-of-way, and the pool goes through site plan review.